You finish the 30-minute design presentation where you expound on every important detail. Unsure of how to conclude, you blurt out, “So… whaddya think?“

Pandemonium erupts.

People with mismatched socks sound off on how your color combinations clash. Fellow designers pontificate about your misuse of the golden ratio. Your VP insists you make the logo bigger.

The calculation in the design you spent days is in shambles. What happened?

The question “whaddya think“ triggers a fight-or-flight response in the unprepared observer. Suddenly, they’re on the spot to provide value. So they start grasping at anything. Uh, I’ve seen colors before, they think, so they start rambling about that. I can’t say I like it and everything’s perfect because they’ll think I wasn’t paying attention, so lemme find something I don’t like, they rationalize.

How do you prevent this?

Don’t say, “Whaddya think?” Instead, make the last slide of your presentation the 3 specific things you want feedback on. For example:

1. Do the colors communicate trust?
2. Does the layout of the page make it look like it’s easy to subscribe?
3. Are you more likely to watch the video or play with the configurator?

In an instant, the pressure disappears. “Whaddya think?” is a difficult question to answer. These questions are easy questions to answer, partially because they’re closed-ended.

Having specific questions implies that some comments are "in-bounds” and others are ”out-of-bounds.” It’s oblivious (at best) and rude (at worst) if someone answers a question you didn’t ask. If someone makes a comment about the size of the logo, redirect them with, ”Oh, I’m not worried the size of the logo, but do you think the colors are doing the right job of communicating trust?”

Instead of treating it like a presentation, treat it like a usability test. Don’t ask what people like; uncover what they can or can’t do. This is a more natural interaction for both them and you.

For a bonus, make these questions both the first slide and the last slide. Putting it first primes their minds for what to look for while you’re presenting. They’re ready for “the test” because you told them in advance what the questions are. They knew what to study. You helped them focus, and you gave them permission to ignore other things. You made it easier for them to understand what you were sharing, so they’ll be more inclined to help you by giving you valuable feedback about things you asked about.

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